This makes it a particularly tricky subject to delve into with complete strangers. Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about salary negotiations.

It’s a situation that all job seekers inevitably find themselves in. Ask for too much and you risk missing out on an amazing opportunity. Undersell yourself and you’ll also be losing out—possibly for years to come as your next job is likely to be negotiated based on your current salary. Job seekers need to do their research to find out how much they should be earning in their profession. However, it’s a delicate balancing act as employers also need to keep up with market rates to remain competitive when sourcing talent.

Well-paid jobs cover a wide range of industries

Of course, some jobs are more competitive than others. But which are they? Do university degrees in traditionally lauded professions such as law and medicine still determine the best possibility of becoming a high earner? Well, yes and no.

We’ve shown you the jobs that pay well and there’s even better news—they have a bright future too.

Demanding, high skill and typically difficult to fill due to a shortage of available talent, healthcare jobs feature heavily in the list. Careers as a GP, anaesthesiologist or psychiatrist (whilst typically involving a lengthy stint at university, vocational training, internships and work placements) are safe choices for years to come. Jobs in this industry aren’t going to disappear any time soon, particularly thanks to Australia’s ageing population— almost 27% of people are aged 55 or older.

Despite the rise of AI and constant talk of robots coming to take our jobs, healthcare jobs aren’t the only ones that not only pay well but which appear to be “future proof.”

Roles that rely on uniquely human traits such as creativity and innovation also offer great pay and a healthy future. This means marketing managers, project directors, architects and software engineers (yes, they don’t just require the ability to write code), can continue demanding salaries that are well above average.

Agile coaches are also increasingly in demand—and not just in companies with a tech focus. Though you might only recently be seeing this role advertised or have heard the job title in recent years, the first mention of an agile coach was actually back in 1999, in Kent Beck’s book ‘Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change’.

Meanwhile, Australia’s residential construction boom continues to create thousands of job opportunities across the country. It was the second best performing industry during 2017. This is great news for those who don’t possess a university degree and would love a role that sees them freed from the constraints of a desk job.

Demand for experienced tradies (some of which take home more than six figures) as well as pipe fitters, foremen, procurement managers and risk management experts will continue in 2018 even as as property prices start to ease. People will continue to renovate existing homes and many major projects will begin construction over the coming months.

It’s not all about the money…

While this article shone the spotlight on 20 jobs that pay more than $130,000, there are of course countless others that pay equally well. However, money’s not the only motivating factor for most people and not everyone will choose a career path based on the financial rewards that come with it.

In fact, a recent survey by PwC showed that training and development followed by flexible working hours are the two most important benefits for millennial workers. Career progression was also listed ahead of salary as a reason for choosing one employer over another.

Didn’t see your job on the list, but would like to know the average for your occupation (or a position you’re hiring for)? Indeed’s free salary search tool can help you find out.

Methodology: To create this list, we calculated average salaries for job titles with at least 50 salary records over the last year.
Note: The education/work experience requirements listed for each role are to be used a guide only. Exact requirements will differ between employers.